Isle of Wight MCC Spring Cup Trial

Isle of Wight MCC
28 February 2020

The fourth round of the IOW MCC's 2020 Winter Series Trials Championship took place on Sunday 23rd February at Newbarn Farm in Calbourne. Eight sections were very well set out by experienced riders Rob Howard, James Stay and Alan Stay, making use of a small quarry and other features including steep banks and tree roots. We are very grateful to Mr Chris Spence for allowing us to use this great venue.

The saturated ground made for some tricky sections, most of which were set on grass. Riders had to be careful not to apply too much throttle or they would risk spinning the rear wheel, losing traction and ceasing to move forwards. Riding in such conditions is quite a skill, and it was not uncommon to see a rider on the floor part way through a section. Indeed, for any spectators watching, observers or the club's photographer Viki Taylor, this was probably quite amusing!

Solo Expert rider, Jack Ayres completed the 4 laps of 8 sections on 67. The A route that Jack was presented with was tough, and with the additional downpour of rain that riders were greeted with only made things harder. Jack made light work of section 2 however, only losing 3 marks over the 4 laps.

Four riders battled it out in the Intermediate class on the B route, but it was the experienced Alan Stay who came out on top with a very impressive score of just 20. Alan posted clean rides on sections 2 through to 6 and lost most of his marks on section 7 which proved a real challenge for most riders. Despite a spectacular crash on his first lap at section 1, Scout Gregory managed to compose himself to post a respectable total of 49 on board his GasGas machine to finish in second place. Scout made light work of section 4, cleaning the section every lap. Scout's closest rival, Sonny Gaskin's determination was put the test, after a mistake on section 7 left him with a sore leg! Nevertheless he battled on to finish the trial on 63 in third place.

The competitive Clubman class saw 5 riders taking on a 50/50 split of both B and C route sections. Phil Chase put in another good performance on board his TRS to finish on top with a score of 48. Colin Brodie wasn't far behind on 54, and was the only Clubman rider to clean section 1 each and every lap. John Coombes rounded out the top 3 on 64.

In the Novice class and following the C route, Paul Kent put in a brilliant ride to finish in first place, some 21 marks clear of Joe Taylor in second. It was brilliant to see Jos Wright back out and riding, competing in the Twin Shock class on the C route alongside his Dad, Calvin Wright. Calvin narrowly took the victory this time around, finishing on 91- just 2 ahead of Jos on 93.

The Adult Beginner class saw three riders navigate the D route sections. Tristan Osborne continues to impress and finished on 23, ahead of Mike True and Sam Jurich who both tied on 77. Mike was awarded second place as he had fewer fives than Sam.

The future certainly looks bright for Island trials, with three young riders now competing in the Youth Expert class. Following the challenging B route, Alfie Haydon took the win on 55, some 14 marks ahead of Dan Locke in second on 69. Josh Morris was forced into third place on this occasion with a total of 97. Alfie Gaskin was competing in the Youth Intermediate class riding a 50/50 split of both B and C route sections. Alfie found section 6 particularly tricky in the muddy conditions, but he kept at it and finished the trial with a total of 89. Freddie Death's confidence will certainly be boosted as he put in his best performance since taking up the sport - to take the win in the Youth Beginner's, posting a score of just 22 marks.

In the Sportsman class, following a 50/50 split of both B and C route sections, Jon Read made light work of the slippy conditions dropping just 16. Simon Watmough also posted a low score riding the C route on just 20.

A big thanks to all those involved with organising the trial and in particular those who braved the wet, windy and cold conditions; the man who makes it all happen - Wayne Brodie, the clubs photographer - Viki Taylor, and to the Observers, Mike Morris, Colin Hare, Steve Kent and Darren Taylor. The Club next meet on Saturday 29th February at The Pavilion, Newclose County Cricket Ground to celebrate all the 2019 award winners. This year the presentations will be made by The 2019 ACU British Expert Solo Trials Champion and Club member; Chris Stay.

The club's next trial will be on 15th March at 12pm, the venue is to be confirmed. All the details will be available from the Club website once finalised.